An electrical harness is a set of electric wires of various gages, optionally shielded, that extend together and terminate at connectors. The set of electric wires or cables constitutes a bundle.
The harness is said to be shielded when a conductor, e.g. constituted by a shielding braid, surrounds the entire harness and any branch connections all the way up to the connector.
A harness is said to be tightly braided when the shielding braid(s) is/are in intimate contact with the conductor elements or cables forming the harness bundle.
As a general rule, the harness comprises a main bundle and branches constituting secondary bundles. In addition, the harness may pass through conductive walls or partitions. Under such circumstances, the shielding of the harness needs to be connected to such conductive partitions.
On a secondary branch, or on a main bundle, the harness may include a transition, i.e. a shielding element that enables tight braiding on one side of the transition to be connected to a shielded duct on the other side.
In some cases, it may be necessary to add new conductor wires to those already present in the harness, either to repair a harness that is damaged, or to add cables to the initial harness, thereby making it possible to include additional functions in the harness.
In the present specification, the term “modifying” the harness is used to mean adding new electric cables to those that already exist in the harness, such addition being justified either by the harness being damaged or by new functions being added thereto.
In order to enable an electrical harness to be modified, it is known to provide certain branches of the harness with spare sheaths, i.e. with tubes that enable electric cables to be added to the bundle already existing in the harness and that extend over the full length of the harness. Under such circumstances, the harness is said to be “modifiable” since it is then possible to add cables to an initial harness without making any modifications other than introducing the cables into the spare tube.
To duplicate a damaged cable or to include additional functions in a harness having tight braiding or in a tightly-braided portion of a shielded harness that is not fitted with spare sheaths, it is common practice to use a shielding kit. A shielding kit is a shielded harness that is not fitted with connectors and that is designed to be installed together with the portion of the harness that is to be modified. The kit contains only those cables that are needed for modification purposes. The shielding of the kit is terminated at its ends by respective braid portions commonly referred to as “pigtails” which serve to establish continuity of shielding between the braid of the harness and the braid of the shielding kit. Nevertheless, mounting such a shielding kit on the harness is a lengthy procedure and runs the risk of spoiling the quality of shielding provided by the braid.
It will thus be understood that the problem is particularly difficult to solve at the connectors of the harness, at places where the harness passes through conductive walls, at branch connections, and at transitions.